Shahzaib Rindh shines as Pakistan beat India in karate combat
Sports
After it was tied to 1-1, Shahzaib takes his country to victory by winning the decisive round
(Web Desk) - In the crucial final round in Dubai on Saturday, Pakistan's captain Shahzaib Rindh overcame his Indian counterpart Rana Singh to lead his team to a 2-1 triumph over arch-rival in the Karate Combat 45.
After India's Himanshu Kaushik and Pakistan's Rizwan Ali won the first and second matches, respectively, the high-voltage clash was settled in the last round.
In the opening round of the competition, Pakistan's Rizwan Ali faced off against India's Pawan Gupta. After Rizwan knocked Gupta out in the opening round, the Pakistani opponent had no trouble finishing the fight, as Gupta was soon on the ground.
Before India's Himanshu Kaushik met Faizan Khan in the second round, Pakistan was ahead 1-0. Pakistan would have won the competition if they had prevailed in that fight, but Kaushik prevailed over Faizan.
It came down to the final round, where India's Rana Singh and Pakistan's captain Shahzaib Rindh squared off as the score was 1-1.
From the start of the battle, Rindh's relentless punches forced his opponent into a corner, and he eventually prevailed via technical knockout.
As a sign of goodwill between the two nations, Rindh raised the Indian and Pakistani flags in the ring after the fight.
"This fight was for peace. We are not enemies, we are together,” Rindh said after the match.
